ZANEI was stunned at Kane's words and did not know how to take his declaration. At first, I wanted to grab him by the neck and shake him till he changed his decision but I thought better, we were still close to the rogue's territory and there was every probability of them catching up with us. "What made you change your mind?" I tried to remain calm and collected. "I mean," I rephrased, "when and why did you change your mind?" I asked.Did he finally discover how charming Sierra was? Or did nearly losing her unlock something in him?"I can't place a finger to it yet but-" A howling sound from a distance interrupting him. The rogues were catching up, and what was worse was that time wasn't on our side, Sierra needed us. The antidote too."Let's save Sierra first" I replied, shoving the conversation under the carpet."Fine, but it won't change my resolve, and I'm not backing down either. She makes me feel things I thought I could never feel. I tried to curb those feelings." Kane said
SIERRAMy eyes fluttered open making me groan from the sudden bright light in the room. I closed my eyes again trying to get used to the lights in the room.Sudden pain hits me and spreads all around my body making me groan. Memories from earlier flashed through my mind.I shuddered as I recalled the rogues circling me with their tongues dripping saliva as they anticipated their next meal. The triplets had come to my rescue but the rogues were determined to hurt me.Tears dropped from my eyes as the pain became unbearable. Closing my eyes, I heard a ringing sound in my ears while I groaned. My whole body felt as though it was on fire."Sierra, baby can you hear me?" My mother's voice sounded as though she was screaming my name from a distance. I felt her hand touch my cheek and I instantly felt warm."Baby, mama's here." She held my hands tightly to her bosom and I forced my eyes open.They rested on her.She was sitting by my side with a smile on her face while tears dropped from he
SIERRAFeeling drained, I decided to get up from the bed and walk, hoping it would help calm my racing heart. The window was opened and the evening sun peeked into my room. Feeling exposed, I tugged at the window blinds, pulling them down. They were no longer here but I could still feel their presence in my room making my heart ponder. I stood in front of the mirror staring at myself. My eyes looked sad and almost lifeless, my hair was still packed in a bun but it was rough and resembled a bird nest.My fingers strayed to the spot where I was injured and a panicked voice screamed in my head.Don't look, don't!Ignoring the voice, I stared at the scar left. The wound was gone as well as the bloodstains, but I was left with a permanent reminder of what nearly killed me. Slowly, my fingers trailed along the spot, perhaps hoping to feel the pain that I ought to, but nothing, I was left with a trophy that reminded me of how weak and vulnerable I was.The first tear escaped, and I felt
THANEMy heart went out to Maya and her daughter, thankfully, the antidote had worked perfectly and she was okay now. As I walked out of my room heading downstairs for a meeting, I overheard Sierra speaking to the boys.Despite our constant warnings whenever she mentioned the ritual, she was still hellbent on going ahead with it, and what was more shocking was that she needed it to be done urgently. I hoped we had more time to convince her not to go on with it. The door was opened so I entered. "Sierra," I called out softly to her, she turned back to stare at me."Thane." Her eyes were red and swollen, she must have been crying hard. "Thank goodness you're here." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "I was just telling the boys that I needed the ritual done as soon as possible if you could please-" "Sierra, take it slow," I said trying to be calm, she was quite determined but it was a very bad decision to make. Her shoulders relaxed a bit."I know how eager you might feel ri
THANENot wanting to give Erin the satisfaction of being arrogant, I smirked at him trying to hide my anger.I beckoned to the guard standing closest to me, "Bring in the guest." I ordered.Then to Erin, I said, "I can barely understand your grievances," his eyes held a surprise, he wasn't expecting me to say that. "However, you'll have to wait before leaving, it's bad manners to keep a guest waiting." The tone I used demanded no reply.He kept quiet and then went back to his seat fuming. We all waited in silence till we could hear the approaching footsteps of the guard and the guest.The door opened revealing the principal of our children's school.The Alphas gasped. He was the last person everyone was expecting to see in a gathering of Alphas.He walked through the aisle towards my throne-like chair. Then bent down with his knee on the floor in reverence. "My King." Nodding my head at him in acknowledgment of his reverence, I replied, "Rise." I ordered. He scrambled to his feet
ERINI couldn't believe my eyes, it was Claire, she was holding a black bag ready to hand it over to the man black. A weird feeling of embarrassment curled inside my stomach making me uncomfortable. I defended her and made her the victim while she went behind me to plot an attack on a person. She heard me argue about her innocence and hadn't said a word to me. She was there the whole time while I caused a scene in the Alpha king's home and she was quiet.My fingers shook as I stared at the pictures on the ground, I didn't realize when they fell off my hands."Cat got your tongue now, Erin?" I heard a voice sneer in the room and another person snickered.I willed for the ground to open up and swallow me."How can someone be so shameless and unthoughtful?" Their voices were low but I could hear it loud and clear. "What if our kids were harmed in the process?" "She must have the mind of the devil for her to have such evil thoughts." The old man spat."This wasn't just thoughts, she c
SIERRA"I won!" I exclaimed, raising both hands. "I used to be so good at this when I was younger." My mother groaned sitting on the marble ground pouting."Now, your very young child is beating you hands down." I grinned at her smiling.She had approached me earlier on my way back to my room, I had every intention of sulking but the eager look in her eyes when she asked me to play made me suck up my protests and follow her. This was our third round and she was failing miserably."C'mon now Sierra, don't get all cocky on me." She grumbled. "One more round, I'll be sure to win this time around." She said picking up the cards. After shuffling and sharing them, the game began."Where do I put this?" She muttered to herself as she tried to find a familiar card. "There you are!" She placed her card and raised her hand."I won!" She got up and did a little victory dance. A pile of cards fell off her dress."No, you didn't!" I raised my hand to cover my mouth."I didn't?" She feigned igno
DANEWe watched as Sierra stormed out of the room in anger, a part of me felt as though I could understand how she felt, but a larger part of me couldn't risk exposing her to danger.I turned to Maya who was trying her best to hide her emotions. She was torn and hurt, My dad's hands held hers trying to comfort her.Throwing a glance at my brothers, I signaled them to follow me. I got up first."We're heading inside Dad," I said to him, he nodded in response before I turned to leave with Kane and Zane following closely behind me. On getting to my room I pushed the door open while they walked in. Immediately they were in, I entered making sure to lock the door firmly behind me."Did you get the leaves?" I asked Zane."Yeah." He pushed out a bag from underneath my bed towards me. "Here it is." He said."Alright."Kane and I gathered the leaves in a heap and then lit the sage. We normally practiced this whenever we needed to calm down, think, and make serious decisions. We sat facing eac
SIERRAThe darkness wrapped around me like a second skin, thick and suffocating. The cold air of the cave seeped into my bones, making me shiver. I was back. Back in the cave with them.The vampires stood around me, their red eyes glowing in the dim light. Their faces twisted with anger and impatience, their expressions a mix of hunger and frustration. My breathing quickened, my pulse racing. I had escaped this place. I knew I had. But here I was again, trapped like an animal in a cage.One of them stepped forward—the elder, his sharp features unreadable. He looked at me like I was nothing more than an inconvenience, something standing in the way of his freedom. His cold, thin lips curled into a sneer."You think you can leave us here to rot?" he hissed, his voice smooth but laced with venom. "You think we’ll just sit back and do nothing?"I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stand my ground. "I don’t know how to help you," I said, my voice unsteady but firm. "I barely understand what’
ZANEThe moment I heard that howl, my heart stopped. It was Sierra. I would know her howl anywhere. My chest tightened as my wolf stirred inside me, howling back in recognition, even though I didn’t make a sound."Did you hear that?" I turned to Kane and Dane, who were flipping through the latest useless book we’d found on ancient spells.They froze, their ears twitching. Kane tilted his head, listening. “Is that—?”“Sierra,” I confirmed, already moving toward the door. “That’s her.”Dane stood, his jaw clenching. “You’re sure?”I didn’t stop. “I’ll never forget her howl. Let’s go.”We shifted without another word, our wolves surging forward with renewed energy. I felt the wind whip through my fur as we raced toward the cave. The closer we got, the more her howl cut through the air, louder and more distinct. She was alive. She was waiting.When we broke through the tree line, I skidded to a stop, nearly crashing into Kane. There she was. Sierra. In her wolf form, she was pacing, tail
SIERRAThe sound of running water grew louder with every step I took. My heartbeat quickened as I hurried toward it. I didn’t know what I’d find, but it felt like hope—something I hadn’t felt in a long time.Finally, I came upon it. An open stream, crystal clear and flowing freely through the cave, its gentle sound echoing off the walls. Relief washed over me. Water. A small sign of life in this cold, suffocating prison. I knelt, cupping some in my hand when I heard footsteps behind me.Hazel. Of course, she’d followed me.“What are you doing here?” I asked, standing up quickly.Her silver eyes glinted under the faint light of the stream. “You wandered off. Someone had to make sure you didn’t kill yourself accidentally,” she said dryly, stepping toward the water.“Hazel, wait…”Before I could stop her, Hazel stepped forward, her foot brushing the edge of the stream. The moment it made contact, a blood-curdling scream erupted from her lips, echoing violently through the cave. The sound
SIERRAThe words wouldn’t stop ringing in my ears. "You can't stay trapped in your own spell." What did that even mean? Did I create this spell? Was the person I saw really me? The woman looked so young, beautiful, and powerful. Her aura was captivating, radiating an energy that demanded respect. Me? I was barely keeping my fire powers from spiraling out of control. How could I compare?I leaned against the cold, damp wall of the cave, trying to make sense of it all. My head was pounding from the shock I’d gotten earlier. My body was screaming at me to rest, but my mind wouldn’t let me. The pieces didn’t fit.A shadow loomed over me. I looked up to see one of the vampires—Hazel, I think her name was—watching me curiously. Her eyes were sharp, but there was a flicker of something softer beneath them.“How are you holding up?” she asked, crossing her arms.“I’m fine,” I lied. My voice came out steadier than I felt. “Just… a bit hazy.”Hazel raised an eyebrow. “You’re a terrible liar, yo
ZANEI could still feel Sierra’s voice echoing in my head as we walked away from the woods. Her words, her plea for us to figure out how to get her out of that cursed cave, kept playing over and over again. My hands clenched into fists. My wolf was restless, itching to do something, anything. But for now, all we had was silence. Kane, Dane, and I hadn’t spoken a word since we left the forest.We reached the edge of the pack’s territory, where the air felt heavier. Kane broke the silence first. “We’re wasting time.”Dane shot him a look. “And what do you suggest, genius? The werewolves made it clear they couldn’t remember how they spelled that cave. They told us to give up. Did you forget that little detail?”Kane growled low in his throat. “I didn’t forget. I just refuse to accept it. They’re lying.”I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Whether they’re lying or not doesn’t matter. What matters is Sierra is still in that damn cave. And we’re going to get her out.”Dane crossed hi
SIERRAI whimpered, my body shivering from more than just the cold. The shock from earlier was still buzzing through my veins, lingering like a bad memory. My body hurt all over, and my head felt like it was going to explode. I tried to push myself up, but the dizziness almost knocked me out again.Looking around, I realized I was no longer in the cave. The dark, damp stone walls had been replaced with thick, snow-covered trees. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the scenery—a forest, but not the kind I recognized. Everything was still, frozen, as if the world was holding its breath. And winter. It was so cold. My teeth began to chatter, and goosebumps spread across my skin.I shivered and hugged myself, trying to warm up, but something felt… off. It wasn’t just the cold. There was something eerie about this place. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach.Then I heard it—voices. Quiet, almost muffled. I strained my ears, trying to make sense of it. Slowly, I started to move t
SIERRAI couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the vampires as they laughed, their mocking tones echoing in the cold, damp cave. They were right about one thing: I wasn’t capable of killing them. Not right now, at least.But damn it, I was going to make them regret underestimating me.“You think you’re scary?” one of them sneered, his pale face twisting into a grin. “You think you can take us down? You can’t even kill a fly.”I clenched my fists at my sides, my heart hammering in my chest. I could feel the fire in my veins, the beast inside me clawing to get out. I wasn’t backing down. Not now. Not ever.“Try me,” I spat back, my voice steady, even though my heart was threatening to beat out of my chest.They all chuckled, clearly not impressed. They thought they had me figured out, but they had no idea. No idea what I was capable of, what the Moon Goddess had shown me. The vision I’d seen, the warning, the feeling, it meant something. I knew it.The vampires exchanged looks, their amusem
SIERRA“Enough!” I snapped, turning my glare on the elder vampire. My voice was razor-sharp, cutting through the tension in the room. “Stop threatening me. I’ve had it with your games and your smug attitude.”Her smug smirk widened, but she didn’t respond, just raised an arched brow like I was some amusing little thing. Before I could fire off another retort, Dane’s voice boomed from outside.“If anything happens to Sierra, you’ll bear the consequences, vampire!” His tone was laced with venom, and I could hear the fury trembling just beneath the surface.The elder burst into laughter, her amusement almost musical, but it grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. “Oh, sweet boys,” she purred mockingly, brushing her perfect hair back with a casual flick of her wrist. “It’s such a bad idea to threaten the people who are holding your mate hostage. What exactly do you think you can do from out there?”“Try us!” Zane growled, his voice fierce and unrelenting.“Stop it, all of you!” I
SIERRAMy fingers brushed against the side of my neck where the bite still burned, the sting sharp and relentless, like a constant reminder of how completely screwed I was. It wasn’t just pain—it was humiliation, fear, and anger all wrapped into one throbbing wound. My glare was locked on the woman in front of me—no, scratch that, the vampire in front of me. There was no mistaking it now. She wasn’t just some random lunatic who had cornered me and decided I looked like a snack. She was something otherworldly, something I hadn’t believed existed outside of myths and horror stories.When she first attacked, she was a gnarled figure with sunken eyes, stringy hair, and pale, almost sickly skin that looked like it hadn’t seen sunlight in centuries. She was terrifying in the way a shadow in the dark is terrifying—something you can’t fully see but know you should fear. But now? Now, she had transformed into a vision of beauty and power, like some cruel cosmic joke designed to mock me.She lo